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Test ride: review of three very different touring bikes

You can rig-up just about any bicycle for touring and get by just fine, but when it comes to comfort, stability, usability and utility, it's hard to beat a purpose-built touring bike. A touring bike is built for long days in the saddle, has a strong frame and practical mounting points for carrying a load as well as a wide selection of gears to haul that load up and over any road. But there are many variables when it comes to touring bikes and you'll need to think about the type of touring you plan to do when selecting one. I popped into touring bike specialists Cheeky Transport in Newtown, Sydney, who very kindly let me spend a few hours playing and test riding three very different touring bikes that they recommend: the Tout Terrain Silkroad, the Surly Long Haul Trucker and the Surly Ogre. Here's how it went:

Surly Long Haul Trucker (Classic)

The Long Haul Trucker (pictured above) by Minnesota-based US company Surly is designed to do exactly what its namesake suggests: haul heavy loads over long distances. Its chromoly steel frame – which is not only harder and stronger than normal steel, but has a great strength-to-weight ratio – is sleek and versatile and ideal for mounting front and rear panniers.

“It's got a tall head tube [for comfort], long wheel base, long chain stay, classic angles, it's stable, handles well, has a nice rake in the fork, and lots of tyre clearance,” says Nick Boyakovsky from Cheeky Transport. “Lots of people have ridden these bikes around the world. It's a reliable, classic touring bike.”

The Long Haul Trucker comes with a 9-speed derailleur set-up, providing a range of 27 gears.

“Certainly derailleur gears give you a wide range of high and low gears; like a 26/36/48 on front, what you might call a hybrid-triple, or a 22/32/48 like a mountain bike triple, and an 11/34 or 11/36 or 11/32 on the back gives you a pretty decent high gear and crucially a nice low lower gear,” Nick says of the size of the chain rings and cassette, which are measured by the number of teeth on each.

Surly has kept the Long Haul Trucker at an affordable price point of about $1,900 with pedals by selecting good quality but mid-range components, allowing the bike to ride nicely out of the box. It comes with a 26/36/48 crankset and an 11/34 cassette, Microshift Bar-Con bar-end shifters, Shimano Sora front derailleurs and Shimano LX rear derailleurs, 700c wheels in the larger frame sizes and 26 inch wheels in the smaller sizes. All aspects of the bike can be customised.

My two bob

I love the classic geometry of this bike. Give me a cup of coffee and I will quite happily sit and stare at its beautiful diamond-shaped frame for hours. The bike was comfortable and I liked the drop-bar handlebar set-up. There is also a certain comfort gained from knowing that this bike has happily facilitated countless great bicycle tours over the years. I also like the flexibility in gear choice that derailleurs bring, even if some of the gears are practically duplicates. Out-of-the-box, this bike comes with bar-end gear shifters, which, personally, I don't like now that I'm am so comfortable with brake/shift levers, which allow you to change gears without taking your hands away from the handlebar, making gear changes faster while maintaining optimum control of the bike. Unfortunately, many brake/shift levers are designed for 10-speed road bikes, however, there are a few 9-speed versions about and my preference would be to get my hands on something like the Shimano Ultegra STI 9-speed.

You want this bike because...

You want a tried and true touring bike with a classic style frame. You expect most of your touring will be on paved road or well maintained dirt road and you appreciate the more affordable price point. You also prefer derailleurs to hub gears, like V-brakes or cantilever brakes (although a Disc Trucker version is also available) and are comfortable making your own adjustments and repairs if necessary.

Tout Terrain Silkroad (Expedition)

The Silkroad (pictured right) by German company Tout Terrain is a top-end touring bike capable of carrying a total load of 160kg. Its frame is built of chromoly steel and has a stainless steel rear rack integrated into the frame design, providing a stiffer and more stable overall design. Out of the box, it comes with hydrolic disc brakes and a 14-speed Rohloff hub gear, which is the key component contributing to the bike's $4,300 price tag. While the frame can also be bought separately and fitted with a derailleur gearing system, it is specifically optimised to house a Rohloff, which is the only hub gear manufacturer that produces a wide enough gear range suitable for touring.

“It's the only bike that we've seen in Australia where we've been able to offer a complete Rohloff-specific heavy-duty touring bike,” says Nick Boyakovsky from Cheeky Transport. “As far as a dependable, get on, don't worry about it, the Rohloff and the integrated rack make it set and forget and you don't have to worry that your bike is going to fail on you.”

The Silkroad's designers have put a lot of thought into the practicality of this bike, integrating little features such as stops on the headtube that prevent the wheel from swinging around when the bike is parked, preventing the bike from potentially falling over. The stops don't interfere with the steering in any way.

My two bob

I really enjoyed riding this bike. It was comfortable and had a particularly lovely steering action, complemented by the BBB Multibar butterfly handlebars that Cheeky Transport had replaced the out-of-the-box flatbar handlebars with. Honestly, I really got a kick out of riding in circles on this bike, it just felt that good! But importantly, it also travelled very well in a straight line. The Rolhoff hub gear system had a wide selection of gears and switched beautifully. As I'm conditioned to riding a derailleur system, I was very sensitive to a slight vibration in the pedals produced by the hub gears, particularly when riding uphill in a lower gear. These vibrations should reduce as the gears wear in and reach a sweet spot about a year in. I also liked the integrated rack, although it may make the bike harder to pack in some bike boxes. Overall, this was a very sturdy bike that felt like it would handle everything from an on-road tour to a rugged expedition.

You want this bike because...

You don't mind paying a premium for something that is strong, reliable, practical and comfortable and you want something that will be low maintenance. You also want something that is well suited to a broad range of touring conditions and sits comfortably between a classic road touring bike and a mountain touring bike.

Surly Ogre (Bikepacker)

The Surly Ogre (pictured right) is one for the bikepackers. This touring bike incorporates a tourer's needs with the geometry of a 29er adventure bike, without suspension.

“Compared with the traditional touring bike, the Ogre has a more mountain bike DNA,” says Nick. “It has a bikepacking influence; designed for independent adventure touring and the capacity to carry stuff on your bikes without having to carry stuff in panniers.”

Frame bags are available that specifically fit the Ogre, meaning ultra-light riders can hit the trails without panniers at all. However, don't make the mistake of thinking this bike won't carry panniers; on the contrary, you can mount just about anything on it.

The chromoly steel frame, nice fork design and fat tyres compensate for the absence of a suspension fork while at the same time allowing for a wider variety of options for mounting your gear at the front than on a suspension fork. Out of the box, the Ogre comes with Shimano Deore front and rear derailleurs, a 26/36/46 chainset and a 11/34 cassette at a price of about $1,900 with pedals. However, the bike is also designed with features to allow a neat Rohloff installation if preferred, which would push the price up into the $4,000 range.

My two bob

This is one mean touring machine. I've never seen as many eyelets in the front fork of a bike as in the Ogre. Basically, if you can't mount it on the Ogre, you can't mount it, full stop. I like touring on mountain bikes because I tend to get well off the beaten track, so I like the frame geometry of this bike combined with the mounting capabilities. I would personally swap out the flatbar handles for something more like the BBB Multibar for more choice in hand positioning. Cheeky Transport had swapped out the derailleur with a Rohloff 14-speed hub gear on the model I test rode and I quite liked how the two worked together.

You want this bike because...

You'll be touring on dirt trails and are tossing up between whether you should buy a mountain bike or a touring bike. You also like the convenience of swapping out the knobby tyres for slicks to achieve a nice on-road performance. You like flexibility in the way you like to carry your gear and also like the convenience of being able to purchase frame bags that fit the Ogre.

The final word

Each of these touring bicycles serve a slightly different touring niche: classic road, off-road, and expedition (a bit of everything). They are all well made chromoly steel bikes, which is a fabulous material for sturdy hauling bikes. There were aspects of each of these bikes that I appreciated, but if I were asked to pick one over the other, I would choose the Tout Terrain Silkroad because of its versatility in a wide variety of terrains. Further, pushing aside its price tag and all thoughts of its high-quality componentry, this bike simply felt lovely to ride, which seals the deal given a bicycle tour can last a very, very long time.

Comments

Interesting article! Thank you. Three quite different approaches to touring bikes. I have a Kona Sutra that represents the conventional drop bar tourer. The chainset has been changed to a mountain 22/32/42 to get some lower gearing. I also have an Avanti 29er that I fitted with a rear rack and have changed the tyres to a more road oriented style (Serfas Drifters}. Not all 29ers have rack eyelets. I really enjoy riding the 29er even on the road but as it has front suspension I am limited as far as front racks go and have considered using a trailer - either an Extrawheel or a Radical Cyclone IV. The other alternative is to use rear panniers and a Revelate handlebar roll for more capacity and weight balance. I love the hydraulic disc brakes of the 29er as well.

I have had my Surly LHT for five years and it has not missed a beat. It carries loads with comfort on reasonable roads. It doesn't do so well on single track when loaded. I was apprehensive about bar-end shifters but now understand why they are superior to STI for touring. They are bulletproof, can be used in friction mode and allow a handlebar bag. I like STI on my road bike but, for touring, I will happily keep the bar-end shifters on the LHT.
The Tout Terrain sure is a beautiful bike if you can afford it. But, I have four bikes and spending that much on one bike just cannot be justified unless I was going to pack my whole life into panniers and tour the world.
The Surly Ogre is very interesting and I would love to try one. Perhaps a future purchase.
Thanks for the review. They are three bikes anybody should be happy to own.

Good point RE bar-end shifters centurion48. They certainly do have some benefits over STI, particularly if you are using a handlebar bag. I definitely have become a little lazy in the comfort value of using STI shifters!

Strangely it has brought out the aggressive 4 wheel driver in me (which I didn't know was there). Riding such a big mean bike I suddenly expect all other vehicles to move out of my way (real 4 wheel drives included)!

Thanks for the article. I'm currently looking for a touring bike. One I've come across is the Vivente Randonneur. It seems quite affordable for what you get with a dynamo and all. Has anyone used one? I'd be interested in hearing if you would recommend it.

Can I throw my 2 bobs worth in please ... because I would also like to hear people's impressions of this bike.
The price for the almost complete package seems very good and it is my first choice at the moment.
I'd use it primarily as a commuter as well as a tourer ... but the touring would be more 'credit-card' than 'out-back'.

I've had one for several years now and have mainly used it for commuting, in all weather and often carrying lots of gear. It is a well thought out bike with a surprisingly good quality mix of components. My only complaints are with the poor power of the back cantilever brake, and the quality of the wheels, the back having just failed through cracking around the spoke eyelets. I hope to do some self supported touring in the future and would likely look to change the granny ring from 26 to something lower. All around a great bike.

Because of my touring experience, my brother asked me to evaluate the Vivente World Randonneur for him. I considered the specification and features and concluded that it was the best value for money touring bike available in Australia, superior even to the Surly Long Haul Trucker, and that is coming from a former LHT owner.

He has since covered nearly 10,000 happy and trouble free kilometers on it. Buy with confidence.

Congratulations on a great website. I've been searching for info on cycle touring and your three-bike test helped me to decide on purchasing a Surly LHT.
I've had a few rides on it, but I have found that reading about long rides and actually doing them are two vastly different things. I've also had to change my mindset from road riding to touring. I'm not there yet, but I'm working on it.
The LHT is a great bike. So far, I'm very happy with it.

Another vote for the LHT. We have a pair of them, replacing two Trek hybrids on which we have ridden over 20,000 in Australia and Europe. The LHTs had their first proper outing on a ride from Strasbourg to Orleans last year and performed very well.
We are credit card tourists so had only back paniers (Ortlieb of course), a rack pack and a bar bag.
This is a pretty flat ride, mostly along river and canals.

Re: I already have a LHT, toured with it from Lands end to John O Groats (southern tip to norhtern tip of UK) this summer.

I am considering this tour in October 2016. I would be most interested in what time of the year you competed it, what your thoughts are on doing in in October weather-wise (particularly northern Scotalnd at that time of the year) and the route and each overnight destination you had.

A Touring Bike that would be worthy of inclusion here is the Fuji Touring. At about $1100 they represent real value for money and offer a good and solid touring bike. I've just bought two of them, for my wife and myself.

I'm currently in an area where there are lots of MTB trail and off-road cross country opportunities but I also want to do one or two longer bike tours a year so I think the Surly Ogre would allow me to do both with just one bike (can't fit two bikes in my apartment!). I might get front suspension forks and knobbly tyres for the trail riding and keep the surly forks and some slicker tyres for touring trips as well as all the racks etc.

I think the Ogre will be perfect for this sort of trek and the CroMo steel frame should hold up well. Suspension will make the journey kinder on your body, but make sure it's a good quality suspension fork because this sounds like quite a bumpy ride.

A light-weight bikepacking set-up will likely be best for this sort of ride.

Whilst the Kona Sutra is at the budget end, I've had absolutely no problems with her. An upgrade on the wheel set would be desirable and finding the correct saddle is a must. But this baby will take on anything and never complain. I am a big fan of white lightning lube and after some 10000km I'm still running the original cassette and chain. A bit on the heavy side but for a big guy that's reassuring. She's my rock.

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